Need a quickie pick-me-up? Cheer-up experts and the latest scientific research show you how to put things in perspective and start grinning big.

Crank up the mood music

Crank up the mood music

And believe it will really make a difference. Listening to cheerful tunes boosts your mood—so long as you believe that it will, found University of Missouri researchers. Study participants listened to cheery music, and those who heard it with happy intentions noticed an improvement in their moods—while the group not told to think of it as a happiness booster did not. "We can stay in the upper half of our 'set range' of potential happiness as long as we keep having positive experiences," says coauthor Kennon Sheldon. So keep blasting "Suit & Tie" and "Blurred Lines," especially next time you're missing a friend who recently moved away or feel down about how a work presentation went.

Stop and smell the flowers

Stop and smell the flowers

Yeah, they're pretty, but it's not just the cheery appearance of blooms that can shift your mood. Their smell is just as powerful, finds a study from Rutgers University. Researchers asked two groups of people to write about three life events—one past, one recent, and one future. Those who did so in a florally-scented room wrote three times as many happy words than those who jotted down their ideas in unscented air. Now that's enough of a reason to splurge on a new floral perfume or candle, isn't it?